One of the great things about following a global sport is there’s almost always something going on somewhere in the world. I’ve no sooner recovered from my glee looking forward to the Rugby Championship down here, then I was reminded about the English Premier Rugby series – the Aviva Premiership, which kicks off on 6 September.
Like the Super Rugby Series in the southern hemisphere, the Aviva Premiership differs from many North American codes in that there are no conferences or divisions within the series. There are 12 teams playing within the series, covering England from Newcastle in the North through to Exeter in the south. Rather than dividing into conference, each team plays all the other teams twice, once at home and once away.
When the season kicks off, there are a few teams to watch early on to set a strong pace. The Leicester Tigers are pretty much the powerhouse of this series, having won the main title no less than 10 times, the highest of any of the teams in the series. Further, they won the last season, but haven’t had a back to back series win in over 10 years. They will come out strong, and they will come out with only one thing in mind, total domination of this season.
Another team to watch out for is the London based Saracens (and I’m not just saying that because they’re my team). Although Saracens have only won the title once in recent history, they are again very strong contenders for the title, and are consistent performers. The Saracens would love to extend their trophy cabinet, and repeat the glory of 2011.
Newly promoted Newcastle Falcons have everything to prove this season. Having fought their way back to the top league, their focus will be probably not to win the season so much as to simply keep themselves in the championship at all. That said, when you’ve got nothing to lose, you can afford to just go out there and give it hell. I don’t see Newcastle breaking any records this season, but I also don’t know that I’d bet against them too often either.
Finally, I’d also keep an eye on Harlequins, another London based team. Harlequins have a proud history of epic victories, and finished third in the table last season. Again, Harlequins only have one title to their name, but if any team has the ability to keep Leicester in check, it’s these guys.
When the season does get under way, I expect Leicester, Saracens and Harlequins to all come out with wins early, the game I’m looking forward to though will be 28th September when the big boys start crashing into each other, as The Harlequins and Saracens meet for the first time. I’m expecting fireworks that afternoon, especially as the two teams are not only close on the table, they’re also close geographically. Someone’s going to the sin bin, and I’m picking there will be at least one person carried off with a bandage or two as well.
I’ll keep you posted with results…and body counts as required.
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